Saudis hail ‘Black Panther’ showing as ‘landmark moment’

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia held a private screening on Wednesday of the Hollywood blockbuster “Black Panther” to herald the launch of movie theaters in the kingdom. Tickets go on sale Thursday for public showings on Friday.

Authorities planned the invitation-only event in a concert hall converted into a cinema complex in the capital, Riyadh. The screening, attended by both men and women, will be followed by a rush to build movie theaters in major cities.

The Saudi government dubbed Wednesday’s event as “the showing of the first commercial film in the kingdom after more than 35 years.”

Audience members clearly enjoyed the moment, eating popcorn and erupting into applause and hoots when the movie started.

“This is a landmark moment in the transformation of Saudi Arabia into a more vibrant economy and society,” Saudi Minister of Culture and Information Awwad Alawwad said in statement.

It’s a stark reversal for a county where public movie screenings were banned in the 1980s during a wave of ultraconservatism that swept Saudi Arabia. Many Saudi clerics view Western movies and even Arabic films made in Egypt and Lebanon as sinful.

Despite decades of ultraconservative dogma, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has sought to ram through a number of major social reforms with support from his father, King Salman.

The crown prince is behind measures such as lifting a ban on women driving that will go into effect this summer. The social push by the 32-year-old heir to the throne is part of his so-called Vision 2030, a blueprint that aims to boost local spending and create jobs amid lower oil prices.

AMR NABIL/AP A visitor checks out a Lexus car, similar to one used in the “Black Panther” film, on display Wednesday outside an invitation-only screening in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.